'Insult me, but won't tolerate attack on my post, community': Jagdeep Dhankhar
RS Chairman Dhankhar on Wednesday responded to his mimicry by TMC's Kalyan Banerjee. “Insult me, but won't tolerate attack on my post, community,” he said.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday responded to his mimicry by TMC's Kalyan Banerjee and said he did not mind being insulted but his post, his community should not be attacked. “...I don't care about how much you insult Jagdeep Dhankhar. But I can't tolerate (insult of) Vice President of India, farmers community, my community... I will not tolerate that I could not protect the dignity of my post, it is my duty to protect the dignity of this House..”
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Dhankhar's statement came after a major controversy erupted after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking him at the protest of the suspended MPs. Video clips depicting Banerjee allegedly mimicking the Rajya Sabha chairman's mannerisms circulated widely on social media. The incident gained attention when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was observed recording Banerjee's mimicry on his mobile phone during a mock sitting of the House.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern and condemned the disrespectful behaviour during a phone call with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday.
Referring to PM Modi's phone call, Dhankhar, posted on X, said, “He expressed great pain over the abject theatrics of some Honourable MPs and that too in the sacred Parliament complex yesterday.”
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“I told him- Mr. Prime Minister, the antics of a few won’t prevent me from performing my duty and upholding the principles enshrined in our Constitution. I am committed to those values from the bottom of my heart. None of the insults will make me change my path,” he added.
In the midst of the escalating controversy surrounding the mimicry incident, President Murmu also conveyed her disappointment on Wednesday regarding the perceived humiliation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar within the Parliament complex. Emphasizing the importance of elected representatives having the freedom to express themselves, she underscored that such expression should adhere to the “norms of dignity and courtesy.”
